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“Empirical evidence indicates that God is good for you.”
Or so the Daily Mail told me on Saturday. Its central thrust: if you believe in God and go to religious meetings, you’re happier, healthier and you live longer.
It seemed like a great argument for God.
But as I read through, something troubled me, and eventually I put my finger on it: it was so man-centred. This wasn’t an argument for God existing, and therefore our need to take Him seriously; this was an argument for believing in God whether or not He’s real, because we need to take our own happiness seriously.
What really matters is whether or not God exists in reality; not whether or not the idea of “god” makes us feel better inside.
Towards the end, the article claims to critique atheist missionaries such as Richard Dawkins as leading people up a “blind alley”, on the basis that religious people live longer and have more children. So they’re wrong.
Richard D is, of course, a pretty clever guy, and would make mincemeat of this (as many of the commenters on the online article have done). Just because being religious makes someone happier, healthier or longer-living, doesn’t make it true.
And actually anyone who thinks it's a good idea to become a Christian thinking that it will give them greater worldly happiness, more bodily health, and a longer life will soon find out that they’ve chosen the wrong product.
After all, the man who most embodied a life lived for God died poor and in lonely agony in middle age. And he also warned: “if anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross” (Mark 8 v 34).
Christians—those who know God personally, and seek to live His way—are truly blessed (Psalm 1 v 1). They know their lives have eternal purpose - so can know true satisfaction. They know their lives are eternally saved - so can know real security. They know they will enjoy Christ's riches forever - so can live in contentment now, whatever their circumstances.
But that’s not the same as having health, happiness and long life here and now.
So one final thought: does our evangelism ever sound like this article? Do we ever promise, even if only implicitly, that if someone follows Christ their life will go “better”? Because that’s not how Christ’s evangelism sounded…
Carl is Editorial Director at The Good Book Company and is a member of Grace Church Worcester Park, London. He is the best-selling author of The Garden, the Curtain and the Cross and God's Big Promises Bible Storybook, and also serves as series editor of the God's Word for You series. Before joining TGBC, he worked as a journalist and then as a teacher, and pastored a congregation in Hull. Carl is married to Lizzie, and they have two children. He studied history at Oxford University.
